U.S. patent application number 13/179794 was filed with the patent office on 2012-09-06 for device for supplying loads in the overhead area of a passenger cabin, in particular in commercial aircraft.
This patent application is currently assigned to Diehl Aircabin GmbH. Invention is credited to Juergen Grabmann, Markus Klingseis, Norbert Knopp, Wolf-Dieter Kuhnla, Marc Renz, Frank Schmid, Dietmar Volkle.
Application Number | 20120223184 13/179794 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45372514 |
Filed Date | 2012-09-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120223184 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Schmid; Frank ; et
al. |
September 6, 2012 |
DEVICE FOR SUPPLYING LOADS IN THE OVERHEAD AREA OF A PASSENGER
CABIN, IN PARTICULAR IN COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT
Abstract
Corresponding to reducing the number of components that need to
be separately installed, in addition to a weight reduction and a
reduction in the cable loom volume, improved system reliability is
obtained if the loads relating to a seating space in a passenger
cabin (12), in particular in an aircraft, are combined on an
overhead panel (17) which is connected, via line connections which
are now only short, to a spatially associated supply module (19),
which is operated in cutouts (20) in a stub frame (13), in order to
anchor a hat rack (11) in the fuselage structure (16) of the cabin
(12).
Inventors: |
Schmid; Frank; (Poppenricht,
DE) ; Renz; Marc; (Schwabach, DE) ; Knopp;
Norbert; (Leinburg, DE) ; Grabmann; Juergen;
(Nuernberg, DE) ; Volkle; Dietmar; (Biberach,
DE) ; Klingseis; Markus; (Biberach, DE) ;
Kuhnla; Wolf-Dieter; (Kaisheim-Leitheim, DE) |
Assignee: |
Diehl Aircabin GmbH
Laupheim
DE
|
Family ID: |
45372514 |
Appl. No.: |
13/179794 |
Filed: |
July 11, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
244/118.5 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y02T 50/46 20130101;
Y10T 29/49826 20150115; B64D 2013/003 20130101; B64D 2011/0053
20130101; B64D 11/00 20130101; Y02T 50/40 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
244/118.5 |
International
Class: |
B64D 11/00 20060101
B64D011/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 10, 2010 |
DE |
10 2010 026 805.4 |
Claims
1. A device for supplying loads in the overhead area of a passenger
cabin comprising a stub frame, which is associated with a load
panel and is mounted replaceably in the cabin fuselage structure,
fitted into cutouts having at least one supply module, and the
latter is connected to at least one standard cable and to the
panel.
2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the panel is fitted
with load modules which are fed from at least one supply
module.
3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the panel is held in
the vicinity of the stub frame.
4. The device according to claim 1, wherein said overhead area of a
passenger cabin is in a commercial aircraft.
Description
[0001] The invention relates to a device according to the
precharacterizing clause of the main claim.
[0002] One major problem for supplying electricity to loads at
passenger seats is the multiplicity of electrical and possibly also
optical feed lines which are required and must be laid, for
example, for different types of electricity and voltages, as well
as different data networks from energy sources and data stores,
computers, audio and video sources to the individual load points,
with their lights, displays, switches, loudspeakers and plug
connections, whose function-related load modules are fitted to the
internal cabin lining. This results in weight problems and is
time-consuming and susceptible to faults, not least because of the
frequent conversion processes in order to respectively adapt the
cabin equipment to the current financial requirements. Space
problems also occur since, because of the fuselage structure, which
comprises frames and stringers and is laid between the outer skin
and the inner lining, it is also not possible to lay an indefinite
number of thick cable looms from central units to the individual
load points, which are distributed throughout the cabin.
[0003] The present invention is based on the technical problem of
overcoming this.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] FIG. 1 is a broken-off cross-sectional illustration of a
stub frame fitted with modules for anchoring an overhead hat rack
outside the cabin lining in the fuselage structure in accordance
with an embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0005] According to the invention, this object is achieved by the
essential features specified in the main claim. This is based on
the consideration that the overhead load points in question are
located under the ceiling hat racks (hand baggage stowage areas),
which are themselves held detachably in the fuselage structure at
the side above the window seats by means of supporting arms, which
have a plurality of arms, at least one of which projects into the
cabin, so-called stub frames. A stub frame such as this is normally
a thin-walled light-alloy casting, which is made resistant to
bending by fitting edge ribs and lateral walls. Supply modules are
now inserted into the openings, which are like cavities, located
between these stiffening members, in particular such as power
stages for power supplies and output amplifiers whose voltages and
frequencies are matched for the data, video and audio supply to the
loads adjacent to the stub frame. The supply modules are connected
to what are now only a small number of standard lines which run
through the structure, in the course of fitting a stub frame to the
fuselage structure, via plug connecters, in order then to carry out
the load-specific conditioning here in situ with line connections,
which are now only short, along a supporting arm to the loads.
[0006] Developments and modifications relating to the solution
according to the invention result from the further claims and, in
addition with respect to their advantages, from the following
description of one preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention,
which is sketched in the drawing, restricted to what is
functionally essential. The single figure of the drawing shows a
broken-off cross-sectional illustration of a stub frame fitted with
modules for anchoring an overhead hat rack outside the cabin lining
in the fuselage structure.
[0007] The weight of a hat rack 11 (hand baggage stowage
compartment) in the upper area of a passenger cabin 12 is held by
the fork of a y-shaped, three-armed stub frame 13, and is
introduced into the fuselage structure 16 in the vicinity of the
strip lights 14 of the cabin lighting, outside the lining 15 (inner
lining). A load panel 17 is held parallel thereto. Load panel 17 is
fitted with all the load modules 18 (such as lights, switches,
displays, loudspeakers and/or plug sockets), such that there is no
longer any need to fit individual elements directly to the lining
15. These modules 18 are fed with power and information from at
least one local supply module 19.
[0008] This is accommodated in at least one cutout 20 in the
structured stub frame 13 and, in this case, is connected in the
course of its structure fitting to power and information cables 21,
which run through the fuselage structure 16. Only a small number of
standard cables 21 are therefore now required, in particular for
electrical and optical bus structures, since, in fact, the actual
feed to the load modules 18 on their panel 17 is now provided in
situ in the individually matched supply module 19, for example by
means of voltage or frequency converters, data decoders, video
converters and video output amplifiers.
[0009] Corresponding to reducing the number of components that need
to be separately installed, in addition to a weight reduction and a
reduction in the cable loom volume, improved system reliability is
obtained if the loads relating to a seating space in a passenger
cabin 12, in particular in an aircraft, are combined on an overhead
panel 17 which is connected, via line connections which are now
only short, to a spatially associated supply module 19, which is
operated according to the invention in cutouts 20 in a stub frame
13, in order to anchor a hat rack 11 in the fuselage structure 16
of the cabin 12.
LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS
[0010] 11 Hat rack (in 12) [0011] 12 Cabin (within 15) [0012] 13
Stub frame (between 16 and 11) [0013] 14 Strip light (adjacent to
15) [0014] 15 Lining (of 12) [0015] 16 Fuselage structure (for 12)
[0016] 17 Panel (with 18, under 11) [0017] 18 Load module (on 17)
[0018] 19 Supply module (in 20 in 13) [0019] 20 Cutout (in 13)
[0020] 21 Standard cable (to 19)
* * * * *